Belgium 0 Ireland 0
She’s been busy in goal for Ireland over the years, but nothing has been busier for Aisha McFerran than in Ireland’s Olympic qualifying opener in Valencia on Saturday. It should be. Arguably, her team held Belgium to a goalless draw, their best result since the 2018 World Cup.
Belgium is ranked fourth in the world, nine places ahead of Ireland, and is seen as a likely candidate for the top spot alongside South Korea (12th) and Ukraine (28th).
Realistically, Ireland were aiming to pick up points from their games against South Korea and Ukraine, but Saturday’s draw was the mother of all bonuses and Ireland will go into those fixtures in a great mood. became.
To qualify for Paris this summer, players will need to finish in the top three in an eight-team tournament, with top two spots in their pool and a place in the semi-finals being the first requirements for a chance to earn two Olympic spots. becomes. One after another, female athletes made their first appearance at the Tokyo Olympics.
However, as expected, Ireland came under the most pressure after conceding 10 penalty corners in the first 10 minutes of the game. However, the combination of McFerran’s goalkeeping and all-round outstanding defending left the Belgians frustrated throughout.
Their next match will be against Ukraine on Monday, followed by a pool match against South Korea the following day.
Ireland’s men’s team will begin their campaign at the same venue on Sunday night, with Ukraine their opponents.
Ireland: A. McFerran, S. Hawkshaw, K. Mullan (captain), H. McLaughlin, E. Neill, N. Carroll, E. Curran, C. Beggs, K. McKee, D. Duke, B. Harper.
sub: S. McCauley, M. Carey, R. Upton, N. Carey, S. Torrance, C. Watkins.
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